America’s 11 ton text to the world: We’re baaaaaackkkkk!

WASHINGTON, April 13, 2017 — For the past eight years, American leadership has been apologizing to the world for our exceptionalism. The Obama administration often argued that the U.S. was just one country among many in the world, not really exceptional.

This position frustrated the American people, as was clearly demonstrated last November.

Obama’s desire for equality was felt in the U.S. as he continually stressed that income inequality was worsening. His solution was to over-tax those who contributed the most, and therefore earned the most, while re-distributing those tax dollars to those who earned the least.

His actions made income inequality worse as many lower income earners dropped out of the workforce in order to receive government benefits. Because economic growth was so low under his administration, only the higher income earners had the opportunity to increase their earnings.

With the election of Donald Trump, things are changing. America is moving back to its well-earned position of preeminence.

Trump will work with Congress to pass an income tax plan that more fairly taxes all Americans. He will propose a budget that gives fewer federal tax dollars to people who can support themselves but choose not to.

This, with a reduction of counter-productive regulations, will boost economic growth which will provide the opportunity for Americans to increase their income. The American economy will come roaring back.

The strength of the American economy will ripple throughout the industrialized world, lifting the growth rates of other countries. This will provide opportunities to their people, which should help to minimize social problems.

Militarily, America is really back. The U.S. is the only superpower in the world. While military action should always be the last option, it must remain an option. Obama was always reluctant to exercise U.S. military might. As commander in chief, he set policy that limited military force even where it was necessary.

His half-hearted efforts sent a signal to our adversaries that the U.S. did not have the will to commit to a fight. That apparent weakness encouraged Russian, Iranian, Syrian and Chinese aggression. Each time those countries acted aggressively, the U.S. failed to respond, furthering weakening our position in the world.

But now there is a new sheriff in town. President Trump wants to follow the “peace through strength” philosophy which worked so well for Ronald Reagan. When the UN declared that the use of chemical weapons was illegal, Trump said it is up to the most powerful nation on earth to enforce this law.

He acted quickly, forcefully and decisively when Syrian President Bashar al-Assad used chemical weapons against his own people. The U.S. military wiped out about 20 percent of Syria’s Airforce. Trump said he would act again if Assad used the chemical weapons again.

Trump is committed to defeating ISIS as quickly as possible and he is willing to use American might to do it. The Air Force dropped a GBU-43 bomb, the most powerful conventional bomb in our arsenal, on an ISIS position in Afghanistan. Called MOAB (Massive Ordnance Air Blast), this weapon is able to destroy underground structures within a mile of the detonation. The weapon was available to Obama during his entire time in office, but only now did the Trump Defense Department use it to wipe out an ISIS network of tunnels between Afghanistan and Pakistan.

North Korean President Kim Jong Un has been taking aggressive action since he took power in 2012. Obama did nothing as Kim tested nuclear weapons and developed ballistic missiles. Kim perceived America as weak, so he continued his aggressive behavior. The new sheriff in town will not allow this.

A weapon like MOAB could wipe out North Korea’s underground nuclear facilities. That, along with an American armada traveling to waters near North Korea, will allow Trump to negotiate from a position of strength to convince Kim to scale back or eliminate his nuclear program.

Americans are starting to feel American exceptionalism and confidence again. President Trump will represent the country both domestically and internationally with the pride that made America exceptional.

Michael Busler, Ph.D. is a public policy analyst and a Professor of Finance at Stockton University where he teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in Finance and Economics. He has written Op-ed columns in major newspapers for more than 35 years.